Broken Moon, Shattered Sky
by Kerosene Desire
Summary: "I am a free Faunus," she whispered, even as the drugs took hold & her consciousness ebbed. Her mind descended freely & she fell into the most beautiful sleep she had ever known. AU, where Humans rule over the Faunus & Grimm are only legend. But things are not always as they seem, and forces gather to shatter her isolated existence and plunge her into an age old conflict. Wolf!Ruby
1. Diamond in the Rough

**Broken Moon, Shattered Sky: Chapter One**

**Diamond in the Rough**

Onward, always onward; moving forward onto a new dawn - a new day - in the same, endless cycle that had become her life. Deep beneath the arid deserts of the Southern hemisphere, she lived - no, she _survived_ - in caverns carved from the blood, sweat, and tears of her fellow Faunus. Networks of narrow passageways; catacombs built upon the lives and deaths of her kind; forced into submission by the larger, more oppressive Human species. Even with their natural mastery of Aura, and the enhanced physical capabilities that came with their beastly heritage, they were far outnumbered and outmatched by the advanced weaponry wielded by the other race.

Submitted to the most menial and labor intensive positions, hundreds of Faunus spent their lives far below the surface of the earth, never again to see the true light of day. One such Faunus - a young wolf cub - slowly pushed the rusty mining cart she had been tasked with, the decaying metal wheels creaking unpleasantly along the decrepit, old tracks. She couldn't have been more than twelve or thirteen years of age, the layers of dirt and grime betraying the youthful face that lay beneath. Her hair, cut short, was matted heavily and caked with dried mud. Long ago she had once had hair as dark as the midnight sky, with tips of wispy red, and perhaps she still did… though it would take several washings to find it again.

'_Another day in paradise...'_ she sighed, inwardly, as she progressed along her usual route.

On both sides of the track, workers chiseled their pickaxes into the clay like substance, sweat drenching their backs and soaking through the raggedy scraps of cloth they had been given for shirts. The air was thick and heavy, made stifling by the combined heat of their bodies and lack of proper ventilation, and it made every labored breath a heavy pill to swallow. The heat was inescapable, and Red - as that was her given name - ran an already sweaty palm across her equally perspiring brow, grimacing at the clammy feeling it left behind. Oh, what she wouldn't do for even the briefest of respites…

Suddenly, she spotted a small patrol of guards just ahead of her path, and her silver eyes shifted with familiar panic. Fortunately, they had always left her alone, but she had seen first hand what devastation they could cause if motivated enough, and she quickly averted her gaze towards the ground. Her ears, which had been perked upwards in a neutral fashion, flattened against the top of her skull - nearly disappearing into her shaggy carpet of hair - and her tail tucked low in a show of obedience.

'_Don't look, just push the cart,'_ she told herself, sensing their dark eyes scrutinizing her as she walked by. '_You've been a good girl. They won't hurt you. Just keep pushing the cart...'_ Even as her words urged her to move on, she could feel her muscles tense in preparation for attack and her Aura, even with the restraining collar dampening her ability to utilize it, roared to life within. She could never understand where this instinct to fight came from, as she had always done her best to stay in-line, but it was always at the sight of her Human caretakers that the rush of rebellion was brought to the forefront.

Rivulets of cold sweat trickled down the side of her cheek as she sensed their eyes landing upon her, regarding her with disdain and the slightest bit of caution - she was a Faunus, an _animal_, after all. She could hear the blood pumping through her veins, so rapidly did her heart beat, fearing that they would stop her for questioning. It was an intense moment for the young wolf girl, but by all her lucky stars, they let her pass without trouble.

'_Oh, god… thank you! Thank you!' _Encouraged by her good luck, she hastened her steps, leaning forward to apply more of her weight against the cart as she pushed it along towards the waste pile. It was for the best that she did not dilly-dally; should she let her muscles relax even the least bit, they would most certainly cramp, making her job that much more enduring. Besides, this would be her last load of the day. By the time she got back, her twelve-hour shift would be up, and she would be allowed to clock out.

It was nearly half a mile to the dumping site, made more strenuous by the heavy cart filled with crumbled rock and debris, and the sharp incline near the top was no easy feat. But she was strong; years of hard labor had seen to that. She was lithe and well toned for her young age, muscles well defined from continuous use, and a body hardened by the harshest of conditions. Her strength and stamina were one of the few things she felt she could be proud of, considering how her life lacked any sort of _real _achievement…

With a final shove, she emerged from the cramped passage into a large, cavernous chamber that led off into several more exits and entrances. Massive pillars of thick steel reinforced the walls and heavy beams supported the ceiling, preventing the weight of the world above from crashing down upon their subterranean lives. '_Not that death could be any worse,'_ she mused, with a morbid sense of amusement.

As she waited in line to unload her cart, Red took a longer look around. To the side, a rudimentary pulley system of thick cable wire carried metal baskets of broken rock; a miniature and mechanical version of her own job as it dumped useless material from a nearer excavation site. And here too, workers chiseled away at heavy rock, tearing through the nearly impenetrable wall in order to reach their prize of previously untapped veins of Dust.

_Dust_. The single most coveted resource in the world, it was the key to the Humans' power, who relied extensively on the precious stones to operate the technology utilized to keep the Faunus under control. More than that, Dust was an energy source; it was fuel; it had medicinal properties; it could be mixed with fertilizer to grow larger, more nutrient dense crops; it was _everything_ to the Humans, who without it, were near powerless on their own.

'_And yet here we are, the Faunus, slaving away our lives to give them the one thing that keeps them in power… how ironic,'_ she thought, as she shuffled forward to keep her place in the queue. It was a hard life, but while she often wondered if there could ever be anything _more_, it was the only life she knew.

As it became her turn to unload the cart, she pushed it onto the tipping platform and ensured the cart was properly aligned before locking it into place. Stepping back, she nodded towards the operator and watched in mild interest as he cranked a handle and began the process of tipping it over. There was a metallic whir as gears and pulleys lifted the cart until it had been turned completely onto its side, allowing the pile of rocks to tumble from their small nest and into the large heap below. At a later time, when the container had been filled to the brim, workers would come with a crane and haul it away; to where, she did not know… but she had always wondered.

The tipping operator, a tawny old bull Faunus, snuck a glance in her direction before quickly averting his gaze. Even he, who had lived and worked these mines for nearly three decades, and who had grown numb to the pain of others, felt a twinge of sorrow at the sight of her. She was too young to be working the mines, and unlike most who had earned their place in the dirt as punishment for their crimes - as petty as most of those crimes were - he knew she had done nothing wrong. She was just a child, who one day showed up with fear in her eyes and a limp in her step. With no idea of who she was or where she came from, she had been captured and thrown into the mines simply because she had nowhere else to go.

A true slave amongst slaves.

"Have a nice day, Red," he offered, smiling kindly in her direction. The girl rarely displayed any emotion beyond quiet contemplation, but he liked to think that a show of affection would do her good.

Instead of replying, the young wolf merely nodded in recognition before taking her now empty cart and wheeling it off towards the nearest holding bay. When she had dropped it off and checked out with her overseer, Red gave a contented sigh of relief and made her way to the cell blocks. She could feel the eyes of the other workers on her as she walked, though few greeted her. She had never been much of a talker, and most had learnt that it was better not to try. In a world where friendship and camaraderie were one of the few pleasures left, Red had chosen to live a life of solitude, and they would respect that.

It wasn't that she was incapable of socializing. Red could talk; that much they knew. But more often than not, they would find her spaced out, silver eyes trained intently on the unknown distance. It was as if she could see things that they did not, and it was somewhat unnerving at how out of touch she could sometimes be. They had all seen first hand what could happen to those of weaker will, driven to madness by the endless maze of dark corridors, and none wished to be around her when she finally snapped. So they left her alone, and if she cared, she did not show it.

'_Home, sweet home,'_ she thought, as she finally came upon her own cell. It, just as all the others, was but a small alcove carved into rock; roughly four feet wide and eight feet deep, it had just enough room for a straw cot and the few personal belongings that she possessed - most of which were books, pads of paper, and a small number of random trinkets she had stumbled upon in her time there. Pushing past the thin privacy curtain that acted as her doorway, Red slipped into the small cave and heaved a long sigh.

She rubbed her aching hands across her face and through her hair, leaving streaks of dried sweat and grime upon her already filthy features. It had been an exhausting day, and while she wished for nothing more than to curl up on her bed and drift off to sleep, she knew that there was still more for her to do before she could. First and foremost was the matter of getting clean, followed by a warm meal in the chow hall, and then she wished to spend at least an hour on her lessons before officially calling it a night.

With still much to do, the young Faunus gathered fresh clothes into her arms and hurried down the corridor to the women's communal shower. When she had first arrived in the mines - five, perhaps six years ago; it had been so long - she had been terrified of bathing in front of the other workers and would wait until the dead of night to clean herself, when she knew everyone else would be asleep in their cells. Now, she had outgrown that silly fear, proud of the body she had earned through hard labor and unashamed to show herself in front of the other females.

The shower room was exactly as its name stated. Twenty foot by twenty foot, it was essentially one room - a massive shower stall for all the women to share. White tile lined floor to ceiling, and a dozen shower heads rained water down upon them; sometimes it was hot, other times it was cold, for the temperature was never regulated by the Humans who supplied their pipes. Most of the workers didn't particularly mind, as Faunus' bodies were better suited to withstand extreme temperatures, and most were just happy to get clean.

When Red arrived, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the shower was near empty, save for two older women who gossiped in the corner as they took turns scrubbing each other's backs. Stripping herself bare, the wolfling folded her clothes and set it on the small portion of dry ground just beside the door. As she finally stepped beneath the spray, her muscles went lax and the tension she carried seemed to wash away, swirling in a whirlpool of wet sediment before disappearing completely down the center drain.

Squeezing a handful of soap from the dispenser on the wall, she set to work on getting as much of the dirt off her body as she could. Nails grazed against thick, leathery skin, lathering soap into her flesh and scraping away dry, deadened cells. Like heavy sludge, the filth and crud she had accumulated that day fell away, revealing the pale, smooth complexion that lay beneath. She took her time cleaning herself, reveling in lukewarm water as it cascaded over the contours and curves of her aching body, releasing happy sighs every now and then to voice her pleasure.

Ten minutes later, she finally stepped away. Shuffling her way towards the dry spot, Red grabbed a clean towel out of the storage bin and rubbed herself dry. She took great care not to rub the fur of her tail in the wrong direction, as it made for a rather unpleasant sensation, and made sure to get all the water out of her canine ears to avoid future infection. When she was satisfied with her level of dryness, she threw the now used towel into the dirty bin and pulled on her clothes.

A thin black tank top and gray shorts one size too big; it wasn't much, but it was her cleanest outfit, and all she really had. Tugging on her boots, she grabbed her old clothes and hurried to return it to her cell. She hadn't eaten since the start of her shift earlier that day, and the pangs of hunger were beginning to finally take its toll.

When she had dropped off her things, she rushed off towards the chow hall, eager to sink her teeth into something warm and preferably meaty. The meals served were never anything particularly special, but it was always hearty and filling, offering the required sustenance in order for them to work as hard as they did. If there was one good thing the Humans did for their Faunus laborers, it was that they kept them well fed; it made them live longer, gave them the strength to work harder, and kept productivity up.

A win-win situation for both sides, if there ever was one.

After eating her fill of bread and a thick, chunky stew of beef and roasted vegetables, Red returned to her room with the intention of working on her lessons. Although she could not remember who it had been, someone long ago had taught her the basics of reading, writing, and mathematics. New study material was hard to come by in the mines - and those who managed to smuggle goods in usually went for cheap drugs or alcohol, rather than books and paper - so she continuously went over all that she knew in order to keep her mind sharp. It was a bit repetitive and boring at times, but it kept her from becoming a mindless animal - as the Human guards were so smug in reminding her.

Reaching her cell, she pushed back the curtain and stepped in, only to be caught by surprise as she found someone already there. For a brief moment, she worried that she had stumbled into the wrong room, but then the stranger smiled and offered her a seat.

"Hello, Ruby. Its certainly been awhile," they greeted.

Her eyes widened in mild panic and confusion. '_Ruby?'_ she wondered, '_Who is Ruby?'_

* * *

** A/N: Okay, so here's a new story for you all! Just a bit of an introduction, so I hope you enjoyed it! If you could take the time to leave a short (or long, your choice) review, I would really appreciate the feedback! Questions, comments, concerns; all valid and eagerly accepted!  
**

**- Kerosene Desire**


	2. A Life Long Forgotten

**Broken Moon, Shattered Sky: Chapter Two**

**A Life Long Forgotten (Dreams and Memories)**

The sun gleamed brightly overhead, cutting through the canopy of oval shaped leaves in intermittent bursts of light, dazzling her for a moment before disappearing. High above her, pods of orange colored fruit hung heavily from the branches, near bursting with ripeness in the late summer heat. Silver eyes shimmered with glee as they landed upon her prize, wolfish ears twitching atop her head as they listened for any sounds of an intruder. When the child - perhaps six or seven - was satisfied with the silence she heard, she crouched low and prepared to pounce.

Knees bent, muscles coiled, she sprang with all her might. In a near impossible feat of strength and ability, the girl - who couldn't have been more than four feet in height - launched herself into a lower hanging branch, some six or seven feet above the ground. Unhuman to others, this was but an ordinary occurrence for the girl, who reached for the first persimmon she could get her grubby little hands on.

Rubbing it clean with the fabric of her shirt, she cradled the precious treat against her chest and double checked that the coast was clear. With far-seeing eyes, she gazed off into the distance, watching as the nearest farm worker plucked several fruit and inspected them carefully, before loading the bunch into his cart. Knowing she still had some time before he made his way over, she grabbed several more and shoved them into her pockets, cramming them full with the sweet produce.

Content with her haul, the little wolf leapt from the branches, landing safely in a crouch amongst the dirt and grass. Casting her gaze once more upon the unsuspecting worker, she gave a pleased smile as he continued to harvest without notice, running off into the neighboring meadow before her luck had a chance to turn sour. Through tall grass and dry brush she ran, skipping and humming happily as she imagined the looks on her mother's and big sister's faces when they saw what she had brought back; after all, sweets of any kind were rare to come by, and things had been tense in their household as of late. Thinking they could use a bit of a surprise, she'd made off for the nearby orchards, only hoping she would be rewarded for her efforts.

Coming upon the river that separated Human territory from Faunus, she gave a cheerful shout and splashed forward through the water, stomping her feet and making a general ruckus. While several yards wide, the river never ran more than four or five feet deep, so she was rather safe as long as she played in the shallows. When she eventually grew tired of the water, she paddled her way across the deep end, swimming at an angle so she wouldn't have to fight the current.

Trudging up the sandy shoreline, she checked that none of her persimmons had floated away before shaking off, her canine ears flopping side to side as her body shook vigorously. After she was sufficiently dried, she set off once more for her destination, attempting to whistle a jaunty tune that her older sister had taught her only the day before. Time passed quickly for the adventurous cub, and soon she came upon the village where she and her family resided. It wasn't much, just a small shanty town set up in the shadows of a rocky mountain, but it was home and she loved it. She often heard the older folk grumbling with discontent, angry with the conditions they endured and unsatisfied with their living situations, but to her, it was all 'adult' stuff. Even with her young age, she knew things were bad for the Faunus, but she had a roof over her head; she had food at every meal time; she had a family that loved her dearly; she had plenty of other kids to play with… and _now_, she had persimmons!

So really, it couldn't have been _all _that bad, could it?

Waving to a few friendly faces, she hurried off towards her own house, feet kicking up puffs of dirt from the unpaved roads. Coming upon their wooden shack just on the outskirts of the village - nearest to the base of the mountain - she took a moment to admire the construction as she always did. Her late father - who had died in some sort of mining accident only a year after she was born - had built it for them with his own two hands, taking great care to ensure it would be safe and stable for his family despite the general lack of good supply. She had no distinct memory of the man or what he had been like as a person, but she liked to think of their home as a physical reminder of how much he had loved them.

"Papa," she murmured fondly, giving the outer wall an affectionate pat before pushing open the door and letting herself in. She was just about to announce her arrival when she was abruptly cut off by the loud sound of furious shouting.

"...-she's my friend, mom! She's nice!"

"I'm not saying she isn't! I've seen her, and you're right, she's a good girl. But her parents… you know they're rebels! Part of that… White Claw group or whatever it is. They'll get into trouble one of these days and I don't want you-..."

"Its not like that! Its not like that at all!"

She deflated quickly at the sound of her mother and sister arguing, _again_. How many times had it been now? Knowing that they were too caught up to notice her, she shuffled along to the far right corner - their appointed kitchen - and quietly unloaded the fruit into an empty bowl, sighing as she kept the final persimmon for herself. She would just have to go back out and find some place quiet - away from all the yelling - and enjoy it on her own.

With a final glance at the two older females, the young Faunus left quickly, eager to get away from it all. She still didn't understand what their fighting was all about, only that her mother disapproved of one of her sister's friends. As she shut the door behind her, she was surprised to see said friend standing just across the street, her dark cat ears twitching as they no doubt picked up the conversation from within.

Curious to her presence, she crossed the dirt lane and stared upwards at the taller teen, holding a hand across her forehead in order to shield her eyes from the sun.

"Hello, Ruby," she greeted, lips stretching into a small yet kind smile.

"Hi, Blake," she replied, meekly. Ruby squeaked as the sound of something slamming - no doubt the bedroom door - suddenly caught her ears, cringing with a mild amount of embarrassment. "They're… um, they're talking about you again…"

The elder girl nodded solemnly, a faint glint of sadness in her amber eyes. "I apologize for causing so much trouble between your mother and Yang. I'm sure it isn't easy for you with all the yelling," she said, gaze flickering downward to the small orb of fruit clung between Ruby's hands. "Oh. What have you got there?" she inquired, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Hm? Oh, a persimmon!" she proclaimed, puffing her little chest proudly. Finally, _someone _acknowledged her efforts! "I got it from the orchards across the river!"

Instead of the praise she had so desperately been seeking, there was a brief flash of anger in the feline's eyes, her lips twisting into a disapproving frown. "Ruby, that's _Human _territory," she admonished, crossing her arms as she bristled in discontent. "You know we aren't allowed there. What do you think would have happened if you'd been caught?"

"But I wasn't! I was careful!" the younger girl protested, her lower lip trembling in a pout as she stomped her foot. "Besides, it isn't fair… why can't we all just share the land? Why does it have to be our side and their side anyway? Its stupid that we have to split things… we're all _people _aren't we?"

Blake sighed, kneeling down so that the two were eye level; the girl was far too innocent and naive for her own good. That way of thinking would most certainly get her into trouble one of these days... "Ruby," she began, gently, "as much as we all want that to be true, that's not how the world works. Humans and Faunus have been at odds for centuries. They think we're some human-animal hybrid, whose ancestors laid with beasts; to them, we're dirty, and disgusting… a freak of nature."

"But that's not true!" Ruby objected, her brows knitting tightly in frustration. "Don't they know its a ma-... manfa… uh?"

"Manifestation?" Blake supplied, unable to repress a small grin as the girl struggled with such big words.

"Yeah!" the little wolf nodded, "Manifestation! Its a manifestation of our aura! We never did anything nasty with animals… animals are pets! And friends!"

"_We_ know that, and some Humans do too… but they choose to ignore it for the sake of their own, bigoted views," Blake replied with a sigh, head shaking in silent exasperation. The lack of understanding for the Faunus' true heritage was yet another example of Human ignorance.

Sharing a common ancestor, Human and Faunus were nearly identical in their biological composition, if not for a mutated gene that eventually caused the split between the two species. While aura - or the strength and power of one's soul - was accessible to both, Faunus were born with a higher compatibility that eventually manifested itself into physical characteristics - in other words, their animal traits. And although they inherited their physical looks from their parents, the type of 'animal' they were was directly correlated to the nature of their aura.

"Well that's stupid!" Ruby murmured, staring fiercely at the ground. She never understood why older people had to make such a big deal over everything - why couldn't everyone just be happy and get along? She glanced up, silver eyes glistening with confusion and doubt, as a warm hand placed itself atop her shoulder and squeezed gently.

"I couldn't agree with you more," Blake smiled, standing up and taking her by the hand. "And one day, maybe things will change… but for _now_, you just need to be more careful okay? How do you think your family would feel if something happened to you? Not very good, that's for sure. "

"Yeah, fine… _okay…_" the younger girl mumbled, still a little put out that she had received nothing but a scolding for her efforts. She had spent all afternoon traveling to the orchards and back, and climbing trees was no easy feat! Sure, it had been a bit of a risk, but she only wanted to help! Wouldn't _anyone_ tell her she had done good?

As if sensing her thoughts, Blake tugged Ruby's hand and nodded her head in the direction of the mountain. There was a small cave at the base, hidden by a rocky outcrop of large stones and boulders, that all the village kids came to hide in when things were too loud and hectic, or if avoiding chores. It was the perfect place to get away.

"C'mon," she said, gently guiding her in its direction. "We can hang out until your mom and Yang cool down. Then we can come back later and show them what you got. But for now, you can play around and eat your fruit, and maybe I'll even read you a story - if you promise to be _good_ that is."

Almost instantly, her mood brightened, the little wolf ears atop Ruby's head perking excitedly at the prospect of a story. "I'll be good!" she swore, now the one to lead the way as she all but dragged Blake up the gravel path to the mountain's base. "Do you know the legend of the monsters of Grimm? Its my favorite! Yang tells it really well-..."

* * *

She woke restlessly from sleep, blinking slowly as she rubbed the last vestiges of a dream from her mind. Inhaling deeply, Red held the air within her lungs for several moments before exhaling in one sharp burst, throwing the thin cotton sheet from her figure and swinging her legs over the side of the cot. Bare feet met rough dirt as she dug her toes into the soil and wiggled them around, still drowsy and barely aware of her surroundings.

With a sleepy yawn, she brushed the loose sediment from her feet before shoving them into her boots and tying them on. She worked on autopilot, fixing her bed and putting the things away she had forgotten to the night before. As she set a stray book on the makeshift shelf she had created for her 'wall', she was taken aback by the unexpected item perched atop its surface - a small, spherical fruit colored an almost blinding orange.

For several moments, the Faunus merely stared at the foreign object; half in awe, and half in fear. How long had it been since she'd seen color; other than the reddish brown of the dirt that constantly surrounded them, or the harsh glinting of steel tools, or the suffocating darkness that never ended. Orange; bright; sweet… it sent a spark of recognition surging through her like a bolt of lightning, and yet, she could not identify what it was, or its significance. But it was there… _right there_… tugging on memories she had long ago forgotten.

Before she could further examine the fruit - for she at least knew that much about it - there was a slight disturbance outside her room, as a fellow worker rushed past, no doubt in route to their next shift. Realizing that she likely had less than thirty minutes to get to her own, Red took the fruit and buried it deep within the straw of her bed. Fresh produce of any kind was a complete rarity in the mines, and if the guards were to perform a random search, she would surely be punished for having it.

When she was certain no one would find it, Red left her room and hurried towards the chow hall to try and squeeze in a quick breakfast. She had missed meals before, and twelve hours of hard labor only felt that much longer on an empty stomach. Thankfully the lines were short that morning, and she hastily loaded up her tray with bread, scrambled eggs, some sort of half-warm 'meat gravy', and a large glass of milk.

She ate voraciously, wolfing down her meal in a span of minutes but taking the time to savor her milk. They only ever got plain or blandly flavored drinks, such as water and unsweetened tea, but milk was creamy and had a natural sweetness to it that Red could never get enough of. She knew it was offered only because it was high in calcium and was important for keeping their bones strong (again, for increased productivity and efficiency), but to her it was a treat like no other. After draining her cup of every last drop, she deposited her dishes in the dirty pile and ran off to check in with her overseer.

All the while, she was unaware of the golden eyes that haunted her from the shadows.

* * *

**A/N: Its been a long time since I updated, and while I have no excuses, I have plenty of apologies. So sorry for the long wait! After coming back from such a long hiatus, I'm definitely rusty with the writing - hence the short chapter. I really just wanted to let you all know I'm still here, still alive, and I have full intentions of finishing the story (as well as my other ones). I've also come back with a bit of changed mentality, in that, if you don't like something - boohoo. That's really all I can say, lol. Writing is supposed to be fun, and as long as its not some glaring mistake with spelling, grammar or formatting, I don't really care if you disagree with something. I still appreciate any input (and I love reviews!), don't get me wrong on that, but I'm not really going to go out of my way anymore to satisfy everyone's specific taste/preference. That's it. :P **

**Anyway, until next time!  
**

**Kerosene Desire**


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